Thursdays, Feb 17-March 3, 2-4 p.m.

I goes to fight mit Sigel!, a popular song of the Civil War era, reflects the fact that roughly one-third of the soldiers fighting for the Union cause were either recent immigrants from the German states or sons of such immigrants. These Germans on the Northern side, to the soldiers in Southern gray either the "Damned Dutch" or the "Hessians," rallied to the cause in no small measure because they saw the "war to save the Union" as the continuation of the German Revolution of 1848-49, which failed to unite the German states and provide for democratic reforms. They were led into battle by many of the same military leaders who had played prominent roles during the Revolution in Germany, such as Friedrich Hecker, Carl Schurz and especially Franz Sigel. Join us as we explore this fascinating topic.